


Touches, Sighs, and Groans

by KeeperofSeeds



Series: femslashficlets - shakespeare prompt challenge [14]
Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Challenge Response, Community: femslashficlets, Dishonored 2, F/F, Female Characters, Female Friendship, Ficlet, Fluff and Humor, Friends With Benefits, Friendship/Love, Gentle Kissing, Implied Femslash, Massage, Pre-Canon, Pre-Dishonored 2 (Video Game), Prompt Fill, Teenagers, Touching, Wordcount: 100-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-17 22:49:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11278383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeeperofSeeds/pseuds/KeeperofSeeds
Summary: After a long day of training, Alexi waits up for Emily.





	Touches, Sighs, and Groans

**Author's Note:**

> for prompt 14. With groans that thunder love, with sighs of fire - Twelfth Night

Alexi groaned as she bent down to unlace her boots. Training to be a part of the guard was just as difficult as she'd expected, but the sparring practices were the worst. She'd spent long enough practicing her shooting over the years, with pistols _and_ with a crossbow, but she'd rarely had anyone to work on her hand to hand with. Well, no one besides Emily when she'd wanted to show off a new move the Royal Protector had taught her.

She'd always taught Alexi the move after knocking her off her feet, but it definitely didn't prepare her for _this_. Learning to use her size to her advantage in a fight with men twice or even three times her size took work. Her whole back felt like one giant bruise. She kicked her boots off and gingerly let her jacket slide off her arms to the floor and didn't even bother trying to remove her vest before falling sideways onto the large couch in Emily's sitting room.  
  
They were supposed to see each other this evening. They'd had to carefully plan the meeting after consulting each of their schedules. Emily was taking on more and more responsibilities each day, and Alexi's own training would only continue to take up more of her time, until she'd finally reached a point where she would be given her own assignment. She'd been waiting to see Emily alone for weeks, but she was just so _tired_.

She'd almost drifted into sleep, lulled by the distant sound of waves and the soft ticking of the clock, when she hears the door click open.    

Alexi doesn't bother opening her eyes as quiet footsteps come closer, then become more muffled as Emily removes her shoes before standing in front of the couch.

 

"While this is a lovely picture to come back to," she says quietly, "it doesn't look very comfortable. If you wanted to lie down, my bed has more than enough room to stretch out, and you know you're always welcome there."

A warm hand comes to rest on Alexi's side as she finally cracks an eye open to glance up at Emily.

"I didn't come here for _that_ ," she protests, but it's half-hearted as she's already shifting to allow Emily's thin fingers access to the buttons on the front of her vest. Emily slides it out from beneath her, throws it over the back of the coach, then sits on the edge, leaning closer to begin inching her shirt up in small starts and stops, heeding the groans Alexi makes at having to raise herself up. Finally the shirt slips off and Alexi feels warm breath on her bare skin before a soft kiss is left in the middle of her back.

  
"I didn't either," Emily admits, "but while I'm here…" she trails off and before Alexi can turn her aching body to face her friend, Emily smooths one hand down Alexi's back before suddenly reaching lower and squeezing Alexi's left butt cheek. Alexi yelps and tries curl up into a ball at the unexpected contact while the Empress cackles and rocks back on the couch to avoid her friend's flailing.

"Some friend you are! Grabbing a girl while she's down!" Alexi frowns at Emily but the mock severity doesn't last long in the light of Emily's wide grin.

"You're lucky I didn't roll off this couch and add to my bruises. How embarrassing would it be if I couldn't train tomorrow because I'd sprained something falling off a _couch_?"

Emily's laughter, which had been dying down, bubbles up again in a low chuckles at the image.

"That would be very embarrassing. I don't think you could show your face for at least a week." She stood up and held out a hand. "Lucky for us, you didn't fall, and lucky for you, I am in fact a great friend who happens to be willing to give you a massage. If you can get to my bed that is."

* * *

Alexi does find it in her to get to the bed in the next room. She may have added in some unnecessary groaning along the way, but the massage Emily gives is worth it.  

The long slow sweep of her hands along the line of her spine feels like she's sweeping the stress of the past day away. The way Emily's smooth hands kneed at the muscles around her shoulder, smoothing out the knots of tension is divine. The soft kisses that follow even more so. It feels to Alexi like she's melting down into the soft padded mattress. She's warm, relaxed, and content to enjoy the simple pleasure of touch as Emily continues to massage down her arms and back up to the nape of her neck, her strokes slower, more soothing now that the tension has been released.

Alexis lets out a deep sigh as Emily pushes her braid aside and cups her cheek for a moment before sliding out of the giant bed to blow the candles out.

She slides back into the bed and tugs the blankets free, leaving enough of them free if Alexi gets cold during the night and decides to roll herself closer into the bundle of layers the Empress usually ends up wrapped with.

They lay together in bed, matching each other breath for breath, slowly easing into sleep.  
  
Alexi reaches out with great effort in her relaxed state and grabs the hand closest to her, brings it to her mouth to gently kiss the knuckles. She breathes in the scent of the oil and sighs.  
  
"I've missed this. Us. Just being together like this.  
  
Emily smiles, slow and easy in the dark, and twines their fingers together. "Me too."

Neither of them can abandon their duties, both being essential to the Empire, but they silently twine their hands together and vow to take more time for private moments like these. Away from the training and lessons. Just the two of them. Together. As they've  always been.


End file.
